Category: Journalism

A George Mason Publication

A typical day in the shoes of a George Mason University student involves walking between classes and visiting the various eating establishments that dot the campus. One must stay focused on their schoolwork; after all, it is paid for.

But students might not notice—through their bloodshot eyes heavy with exhaustion—the small newspaper kiosks located throughout campus that hold Mason’s student newspaper: Fourth Estate.

Fourth Estate is George Mason University’s student-run weekly newspaper, covering all aspects of college life, such as campus news, the culture surrounding the campus like restaurants and events, and of course, sports.

The paper dates back to 1963, where it was created as the print newspaper The Gunston Ledger, then transitioning in 1969 as the Broadside. The publication stuck until it couldn’t withstand the digital age, and merged with the campus online publication in 2013 to form the Fourth Estate.

The merge between the print and online publications has been a productive move; the paper puts out about 4,000 print copies across campus, as well as online publications, which usually draw a few hundred hits per article. The kind of content covered by the staff varies and is largely up to the editorial staff to decide what is written.

Mackenzie Reagan, Co-Editor-in-Chief of Fourth Estate, in an email interview said, “If it doesn’t have a strong connection to Mason (news or sports), or it isn’t, like, fun? (culture), we typically don’t cover it.”

Sometimes it’s hard to cover everything going on around campus; staff writers are volunteer positions which are few and far between already—many editors have to take up writing responsibilities along with the editorial duties to make up for slow weeks.

“Sometimes, things just fall through the cracks because we don’t have enough writers,” said Reagan.

Despite this, Fourth Estate still runs smoothly, running their weekly issues with as much content as possible, serving as a way for students to stay connected to their school and college culture.

It hasn’t always been pretty though; Fourth Estate has had moments where it paints some aspects at mason in a not so appealing light.

“We’ve pissed off some people on campus before, but that’s the life of a student paper,” said Reagan.

Although some feathers were rustled belonging to those on campus, the paper has never been interfered with by administration (who funds them) or others who have been covered in any way—be it positive or negative.

The content published isn’t always so hard-hitting, however, sometimes the newspaper kiosks around campus stay stocked until the new issue rolls out the next week.

Mitch Westall, the sports editor of the paper, said in an interview, “I think it has some impact. People definitely read it. It’s not everyone’s go-to news source but it’s not irrelevant.”

Far from irrelevant, the paper is read by students and faculty alike, both in print and online. But no news media goes without criticism from its readers—the one-way medium of news media is fading from the paradigm—people want their voices heard.

One such student, Ali Asif, sophomore, had a few thoughts about the paper: “I’d like to see less political driven articles in the paper. I like reading the paper editions every week because it’s a release from looking at screens all day, so reading more about an already extensively covered topic by major news outlets is tiring to me.”

He added, “I’d also like to see more music journalism, like album reviews, new releases from different genres, local concerts dates, etc.”

But a student newspaper such as the Fourth Estate isn’t just there for students to read—though that is the main function—it’s also for the writers, the editors, and the rest of the staff who also attend Mason yet still keep the paper afloat.

Westall summed the paper up at the end of his interview, “I think that it’s good for what it is. It’s here for aspiring journalists to practice and perfect their craft before heading into the real world.”